It’s the final countdown to the 35th Indaba. With just a few days to go, we take a look at the new offerings and highlights of the show.
New networking platforms unveiled
This year’s Indaba will see the debut of The Calabash – a central business venue for buyers and exhibitors to network and relax. The venue will be positioned in the heart of the tradeshow and offer a place for attendees to enjoy an authentic African experience and discuss business in a social atmosphere.
SA Tourism CEO, Thulani Nzima, says the beach party will be replaced by an evening of networking between exhibitors and buyers – The Indaba Connect event. According to Nzima, this event will bring roughly 500 people together at Moyo restaurant on the beachfront. The event will have no formal speeches, but provide an opportunity for people to make new contacts. The event is for hosted buyers and exhibitors.
The travel bloggers’ conference
With destination marketing constantly evolving, the aim of the bloggers’ conference is to highlight the importance of personalised, user-generated content and social media engagement and its impact for the tourism trade.
South African Tourism will host a pre-Indaba bloggers conference on May 8 between 09h00 and 15h00, which will include both local bloggers and those representing a number of important international markets.
The event aims to give the tourism trade the opportunity to gain insight into how making use of bloggers can benefit their business.
Key speakers include Andrew Carrie and Dane Forman, who will talk about how they are utilising their online skills to promote Durban as a destination; local bloggers, Dawn Jorgensen and Meruschka Govender, will address key issues raised by the delegates attending the event; and Damian Cook, Founder and CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers, will host a ‘Beyond the basics, what else do we need to do’ workshop. Kate Els will run a workshop on content marketing for the travel and hospitality industry.
What’s new at the TechZone
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Damian Cook, Founder and CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers, spoke at the Tech Zone, Tech Talk at Indaba 2014.
SA Tourism says that, following the success of last year’s Indaba TechZone, the feature will return to the show. The TechZone will be where industry can find exhibitors who are at the forefront of travel technology and can share insights on ways of making better use of technology and also update the trade on the latest technology products.
This year’s TECHtalks will be delivered by six speakers who all use technology to improve travel for both consumers and the trade. The aim of these talks is to expose attendees to available technology and to inspire them to use it to its full potential to market their businesses and improve their clients’ travel experience.
The line-up for this year includes speakers such as Dave Duarte, CEO of Treeshake, and Alana Witte Director, Middle East and Africa at Revinate. TECHtalks will take place each morning of the show with two talks followed by a panel discussion just before lunch.
Also returning this year will be the Twitterwall showing all the tweets using the hashtag #INDABA2015. There will also be charging facilities for attendees and some tech-inspired activations.
The Online Diary and Matchmaking tool
The Online Diary and Matchmaking System is a platform where exhibitors and buyers can request and plan their Indaba meetings to get the best business value out of the trade show.
Buyers and exhibitors can view and select companies they would like to meet, and confirm their meetings before Indaba kicks off on May 9. Both the matchmaking and diary components of the system are available at no additional cost to all Indaba exhibitors, delegates and visitors.
Users need to set up a profile that includes detailed information about their company and meeting requirements. This information is then used to match their profile to the right individuals. A private online report is generated that enables the user to view companies that match their profile and use it as a basis to set up meetings.
Nzima says the diary system has been improved for this year show, with significantly more meetings set up using this system than for last year’s show.
As new companies will be registering for the system daily, it is important to check reports regularly to see new matches.
Watch Tourism Update’s short video on how to use the Online Diary and Matchmaking System.
The Business Buyers’ Lounge
This year Indaba will open its Business Buyers’ Lounge to all exhibitors
SA Tourism says the concept, introduced at last year’s show, will return following last year’s successful Premier Lounge. The Business Buyers’ Lounge will offer exhibitors a customised space focused on conducting business meetings.
Unlike last year, where the offering was limited to exhibitors who had taken up Indaba stands of at least 18 sqm, the Business Buyers’ Lounge will be open to all exhibitors, even those who have not booked stands. A discount will apply to stand exhibitors who have booked exhibition stands.
Exhibitors in this space will be restricted to three-, four- and five-star ratings. No provinces, district municipalities, experiences and tourist attractions will be able to exhibit in this space.
Exhibitors at the Business Buyers’ Lounge will be given an exclusive area and guaranteed meetings with eight hosted buyers a day, which will be organised by an outsourced meeting and diary management team. Exhibitors will be given a private, six-square-metre meeting hub that features a desk, four chairs, electric plug point, two customised graphic panels and free WiFi. Exhibitors that do not have a stand will have the option of conducting all their appointments in this space.
Speed marketing sessions
This year’s Indaba will host two speed marketing sessions, giving buyers access to South African SMME’s. Around 40 tourism products will make four- to five-minute presentations or ‘sales pitches’ to the international hosted buyers over the two sessions. The session will be moderated by rugby legend Chester Williams.
“The local SMME’s play a pivotal role in all sectors including tourism. Their contribution to job creation and alleviating poverty is well documented,” explains Nzima. “The speed marketing platforms afford our local trade with smaller and select platform from which they can showcase and promote their business to the hosted buyers,” he says.
South African Tourism has partnered with Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) and Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) to stage the two speed marketing sessions under the themes: Fair Trade Tourism and More Hidden Treasures, taking place on Saturday at 08h30 and Monday at 08h30 respectively at Room 22 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre.
“We are delighted about our partnership with Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) and Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP). As our partners, they are as equally passionate about the development and promotion of our local tourism sector, and in particular, the importance of the local SMME’s to our country’s economy,” says Nzima.
SA Tourism announces Indaba Welcome Ambassador
Chester Williams, the former Springbok rugby player, who was part of the 1995 Rugby World Cup winning team, has been chosen as the official ambassador for the ‘Make someone’s day’ campaign for Indaba 2015.
As part of his role, Williams will join the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, on his first walkabout of the tradeshow floor, to take place on Saturday, May 9, to meet and greet individual exhibitors.
Additionally, Williams will be a special guest at a media cocktail event to be held after the opening ceremony. He will engage with media about the importance of creating a culture of service excellence and promoting a great tourist experience.
The Welcome initiative extends a hand to all role-players in the tourism industry, from seasoned tourism business owners to young, thriving start-ups. It aims to provide the travel trade with invaluable insights and toolkits geared towards assisting the trade in making a visitors’ day, every day.
